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During archaeological excavations in the Mediterranean region, parts such as petrified leaf imprints of cultivated precious olives have already been found, which can be dated to be 5000 years or more. This shows that the olive has been native to the Mediterranean for a very long time. It is therefore not surprising that the plant has adapted perfectly to the prevailing climatic conditions - this applies in particular to the roots of the olive.

Olive roots spread over a large area

The roots of the European olive tree are excellently adapted to dry and poor soil and are therefore able to extract even small amounts of moisture and nutrients from the soil. The growth of the roots depends on the soil conditions. If the soil is loose, the roots can certainly reach a depth of seven meters - to cover the water requirement from the groundwater, for example. On firmer - for example rocky - substrates, on the other hand, the roots spread out on the surface and branch out extensively. This also applies to pot and tub olives. As a rule, the root system is about as wide as the crown of the tree.

A root can be assigned to each main shoot

It is also typical for olives that each main shoot above the ground can be assigned a specific root together with the associated root network. Therefore, when pruning the olive, you should be careful not to damage or cut off any main shoots - this will result in the corresponding roots dying off as well. The rot that may result from this can eventually spread to the entire root system and the tree as a whole.

Caring for olive roots properly

So that you can enjoy your olive tree for a long time, you should pay special attention to the roots when caring for them. Root-friendly tree care includes the following points:

  • Water olives only moderately (substrate should be dry before each watering)
  • Avoid waterlogging with good drainage in the pot (pebbles)
  • the pot should be about a third larger than the crown of the tree
  • Transplant the olive into a larger pot about every year or two
  • When transplanting, be careful not to damage the roots
  • protect the roots from cold and frost in winter (bark mulch / brushwood cover)

tips and tricks

Good winter protection is the be-all and end-all, because olive trees are Mediterranean plants and therefore not used to frost - even if some varieties are described as frost-hardy. Make sure that the roots, trunk and crown are adequately protected in freezing winters! Special plant heaters (these look similar to a chain of lights) can help here.

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Trees